Love It or Hate It, the Presidential Fitness Test Is Making a Comeback

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 15 August 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Remember the flexed arm hang? The mile run? The Presidential Fitness Test – a battery of physical challenges that has prompted both dread and pride in students since the Eisenhower administration – is getting a reboot under the current administration. We’ll look at what California is currently doing to encourage youth fitness and what we’ve learned from more than 50 years of health data collected by school fitness tests, including the updated version that took hold under the Obama administration in 2012. And we want to hear from you: what are your memories of the Presidential Fitness Test? What do you think about its return? Guests: Hannah Thompson, assistant research professor of Community Health Sciences, UC Berkeley; incoming director for the UC Nutrition Policy Institute Taylor Tobin, freelance journalist who writes about food, health and lifestyle Renata Simril, CEO and President of the LA84 Foundation, and President of the Play Equity Fund Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for KikiWED Podcasts comes from Landmark College,
0:03.7	commemorating 40 years of educating people who learn differently,
0:07.5	with programs on campus and online for both students and professionals.
0:12.0	Learn more at landmark.edu.
0:14.7	I've ruled out uni because I want to live at home.
0:17.4	I've ruled out uni because I want to earn money.
0:20.4	I've ruled out uni because I want to earn money. I've ruled out uni because of my grades.
0:22.6	Study with the Open University and there's no need to rule out anything.
0:27.6	With our respected degrees, you can learn from home and work alongside study.
0:32.6	We're open to all. Plus, you'll have the support of expert tutors.
0:36.6	So rethink your future with the degree
0:39.3	you didn't think was possible. The Open University. The future is open. From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Nina Kim.
1:05.6	Coming up on forum, the presidential fitness test is making a comeback under this administration.
1:11.6	Remember the mile run, the pull-up, the sit-and-reach test?
1:15.8	This battery of physical challenges has prompted both dread and pride in students since the Eisenhower administration.
1:22.8	So why give it a reboot?
1:24.6	Well, look at what we've learned from 50 years of collecting the data.
1:27.9	And we want to hear from you.
1:29.1	What are your memories of the Presidential Fitness Test?
1:31.9	And what do you think about its return?
1:34.7	Join us.
1:50.0	Welcome to the. I'm Mina Kim.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 4 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KQED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KQED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.